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How To Fix It

Why Your Bathroom Fan Is Squeaking? Easy Fixes

Having a bathroom fan is essential to keep out unwanted moisture and odors from your bath area. However, these fans can produce an annoying squeaking sound that can easily drive you up the wall over time. So why is your bathroom fan squeaking, and better yet, how can you fix this problem?

Numerous factors can cause your bathroom fan to start squeaking, including motor-related problems, clogging and debris buildup, loose mounting equipment, old age, and lack of proper maintenance. You can easily fix these issues through maintenance work or replacing faulty parts or components.

This article will discuss vital questions related to this topic, including what factors may cause your bathroom fan to squeak and the steps you can take to resolve this issue. If this is a persistent problem in your household, I suggest reading on.

Common Causes of Fan Squeaking Noises

Interestingly, it’s difficult to pin down the cause of your bathroom fan squeaking to just one problem. However, I’ll outline some of the common reasons for this problem below.

Motor-Related Issues

Most of the causes of a squeaking fan can be traced to the motor. According to the electrical experts at Early Birds Electricians, if your fan was operating silently but all-of-a-sudden discovered its knack for squeaking, you may have a dirty motor on your hands.

Dirt in the motor can be caused by dust or dirt accumulation, which is expected if you use your fan over time. Yet, regardless of how impressive your fan is operating today, age will affect it in the long run.

Dust and dust accumulation should, however, not be a death sentence for your bathroom fan. You can fix this problem easily by taking the below actions:

Clean Your Fan

A simple problem requires a simple solution, and this simple notion resonates powerfully when it comes to squeaking bathroom fans. If you have used your fan for a prolonged period without cleaning it, sudden squeaking is likely a result of dirt and dust.

To this end, you can remove the accumulated dust or debris easily by using a can of compressed air to force it out. After blowing out the dust/dirt, the next step is to use a hand vacuum to remove any stubborn debris which may still be in your fan.

After taking these simple actions, restart your fan and see if the squeaking noise has subsided, and Voila!

However, if this noise doesn’t reduce, you could be facing a dying motor. If this is the case, try the option below:

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Read: How To Fix A Noisy Bathroom Fan?

Replace Old or Dying Motors

A squeaking fan is a common problem for old fans. Therefore, persistent squeaking may be a tell-tale sign that your motor may be dying. The good news is that replacing an old or dying fan is relatively simple. All you need to do is to purchase a new fan motor and replace the fan. 

A common mistake among most homeowners is to replace the entire fan if it starts squeaking. Like with your car or bicycle, you don’t immediately purchase a new part if it fails; this logic should extend to your fan. But a new, high-quality motor usually costs as much as a new fan, you might say. 

One significant advantage of not overhauling your entire fan system is that you don’t have to incur the costs and inconveniences of tearing out the old unit and installing a new one.

As a rule of thumb, go for a high-quality motor replacement that provides silent operation without compromising reliable performance. While it may be a bit costlier, it beats having to bear the annoying squeaking sound emanating from your bathroom fan.

Read: 3 Reasons Why Water Is Dripping From The Bathroom Fan

Loose Screws or Mounting Equipment

If you’ve recently fixed your bathroom fan but are already losing sleep over incessant squeaking, this is likely due to loose screws or clips. In fact, this is one of the common causes of bathroom fans squeaking soon after installation.

To determine whether your screws are loose, follow these simple steps:

  1. Turn the fan off.
  2. Remove the fan grill.
  3. Hold the fan and give it a wiggle.

If your fan does not move, the problem is not loose screws. If it does, then you need to tighten them.

This is super easy, as I’ll explain below:

To Tighten the Screws or Clips

If you’re dealing with loose screws, get a hold of a screw tightener and tighten the screws until the fan does not wiggle when you grasp it. This is relatively easy to do, and you will – in most instances -, not have to incur additional costs of bringing a handyperson in.

Read: Why Mini Split Fan Runs Continuously?

Cheap Fans

One of the possible explanations for your fan squeaking is that you purchased a cheap one. While there is a great variety of bathroom fans available in the market, it’s essential to ensure that your unit is from a reputable brand.

Most cheap brands feature small turbines, which in most cases cannot handle the heavy demands of fast motors. This results in a noisy operation or constant squeaking.

Lack of Proper Lubrication

Lack of proper lubrication is also a common cause of squeaking noises in bathroom fans. A fan has many moving fans, including the fan blades, the motor, and others. Because of this, these moving parts require regular lubrication when doing maintenance work to prevent squeaking.

To resolve this problem, consider the solution below:

Ensure Proper Lubrication

Proper lubrication should be on your checklist when doing fan maintenance work. According to Removeandreplace.com, you should introduce a small drop of lubricant to your bathroom fan’s motor shaft. With this minor fix, you can easily conquer the demons of squeaking fans. 

It’s also important to note that the motor shaft on your fan is susceptible to dust and dirt accumulation. Therefore, as a general rule of thumb, clean your fans and remove any dust or dirt before lubricating your fan.

If you don’t have a lubricant, you can use grease instead and have your bathroom fan operating like a well-oiled machine. Your starter kit when doing this should thus include the following:

  • A clean rag
  • A microfiber cloth or a small brush
  • Some type of lubricant or grease

If unsure what lubricant to use, consider the WD-40 Multi-Use Lubricant (available on Amazon.com).

Irregular or Misaligned Ductwork, Fan Housing, or Fan Blades

Misalignment in the various components of the fan such as the fan blades, housing, or ductwork can result in startling, rumbling, or squeaking. This is common, especially when your unit has a few years under its belt.

For instance, if your fan blades are misaligned, then it’s likely that they will spin incorrectly. Also, if your ductwork has too many turns instead of being straight, air movement from a powerful motor may cause it to squeak or rattle.

On the same breath, if the fan housing is irregular or misaligned, it may be subject to unwanted swaying, resulting in loose screws and clips. This will, in turn, result in squeaking noises.

You can easily examine your fan and look out for any misalignment in these components.

Read: Can You Put A Mini Split In Bathroom?

How To Fix?

You may need to seek the services of an experienced repair person or handyman for this job. The gist of it is, however, straightforward. Just realign any parts of components that seemed misaligned.

Speaking of a handyman, the repair experts at Family Handyman suggest removing and replacing the housing, dust, or fan blades if you have an old fan on your hand and the parts are misaligned.

Clogged Ducts

In the same way that dust and debris may compromise the motor and result in increased noise, clogged ducts may also become a nightmare. If you’re familiar with birds, then you know that they have a tendency to create their nests in some of the most unlikely areas – and inconvenient ones at that, from your perspective.

Issues such as bird nests, debris buildup, and other related problems will restrict airflow in the ducts. They will also increase air resistance, which culminates in squeaking or rattling noises.

To check if you have this issue, examine the vent cover flapper when the fan is on and check whether air is coming out as intended.

To resolve this issue:

Remove Any Debris From the Ducts

Take the following steps.

  1. Check whether you have any debris stuck in the vents and remove them.
  2. Look out for bird nests.
  3. Since the fan vents can be high, use a ladder to err on caution.

If uncomfortable with doing the above, you can seek professional help for more exhaustive maintenance work on your entire fan system.

Your Fan is Old and Needs Replacement

It’s easy to get attached to things and objects the longer you stay with them. However, this is not an ideal situation when it comes to fans. If your fan is constantly startling or squeaking, the simple explanation could be that it is too old and you need to replace it.

Because most high-quality fans typically provide silent, reliable operation for longer, they could be a quick fix if you are tired of sleepless nights or the discomfort from fan squeaks.

The most silent fans are rated at less than one sone. Therefore, if you decide to get a new unit, I recommend getting one with a rating or one sone or less, and enjoy the bliss of a whisper-quiet operation.

Read: How To Keep Your Apartment Humid? (7 Tips)

Conclusion

In closing, there’s no single reason for your fan squeaking. Rather, there are many causes for a noisy fan, and this article has outlined most of these factors.

With the guidelines provided here, you may be able to resolve most of the common causes of squeaks from your bathroom fan.

As always, if you’re unsure of your ability to perform these fixes on your own, I recommend reaching out to an experienced handyperson for more accurate and elaborate work on your fan system.